บท 71: Chapter 67. The Alley Fight
Noah looked down at the scene unfolding below. It was the kind of sight not for the faint of heart: countless bodies, some mangled beyond recognition, others pressed into the walls. Beneath an overturned dumpster, from which a red liquid trickled, lay someone as well, or so it seemed.
Surveying the area quickly, Noah realized these were the usual small-time thugs he dealt with every day. He also understood that such people could easily provoke Banner to transform into the Hulk.
"Oh, don't worry, big guy, I'm not looking for trouble," Noah said, raising his hands in front of him as he looked at the Hulk's enraged face.
"Haaah!" Hulk wasn't listening. He pushed off with a powerful leap, tearing apart the ground beneath him as he shot toward Noah like a cannonball.
With his massive body and incredible speed, this blow could easily crush a tank. Anticipating it, Noah swiftly sidestepped as Hulk charged, simultaneously delivering a powerful kick to his attacker's side.
Thrown off course, Hulk crashed into the alley wall, breaking through it and landing inside the building.
"Aaah!" – finding himself in the gang's hideout, Hulk crushed several gang members underfoot.
"Haaah!" – recognizing the hostile outfits around him, he threw the surrounding people aside in a fit of rage, got to his feet, and charged at Noah again.
"Hulk smash!!!" Hulk leapt with such force that he left deep impressions in the ground. His muscles tensed, and he lunged at Noah with a punch so fierce it whistled through the air, indicating its sheer power.
Noah took this attack seriously. He quickly cast a protective spell over Betty to shield her from the explosive shockwave.
Activating his armor, he focused his energy and magic, dashing toward Hulk. They both mirrored each other's moves, and their fists clashed in midair.
At the moment of impact, time seemed to freeze. Then a massive shockwave burst out in all directions, shattering windows and cracking building walls. The wind whipped up debris from the ground, scattering it throughout the alley.
Betty, standing below, instinctively raised her arms to protect herself from the shockwave. But then she noticed she felt nothing. She opened her eyes to see a faintly visible protective shield around her, guarding her from the blows and debris.
In the midair clash, Noah's strength proved greater. His power, enhanced by armor and magic, surpassed Hulk's, sending him crashing back into the building.
"Boom!"
Hulk broke through walls and pillars, landing amid the rubble. The pain only spurred his fury further. As he tried to rise for another attack, six metallic objects flew in and landed around him, forming a hexagon.
"Huh?" Hulk grunted, and in that moment, yellow electric currents surged from the devices, striking his massive body.
"Aaaagh!" Unexpectedly hit by the electricity, Hulk roared in pain. The electricity surrounded him, forcing him to struggle.
Hulk fought, trying to reach and smash the devices, but the powerful currents restricted his movements. Yet, his rage didn't lessen; his muscles seemed to swell even more. He began to move with greater ease.
At that moment, another strong electric pulse hit him, intensifying the "electrotherapy."
"Hulk, it'd be best if you calmed down. I'd rather avoid a full-on battle in the middle of the city," Noah said, raising his Static Shiv, increasing the flow of magical energy, making the electric currents even stronger.
"Aaaagh!" The fierce surges melted nearby debris and furniture. Under the force of the shocks, Hulk couldn't overcome the restraining power.
"Please, stop, Storm Swordsman! Please, Bruce—he's a good person!" came a voice from behind Noah. Betty entered through the hole in the wall, and seeing the situation, she urgently began to plead for Hulk's release.
Hulk seemed to hear her voice. His electrically bound body quivered slightly, his head slowly lifting as he looked at her.
Watching this unfold, Noah raised an eyebrow within his helmet, thinking, "Well, Betty truly can calm the Hulk."
Hearing Betty's voice, Hulk started to respond. Noah decided to pause the attack, giving her a chance to calm him. If it didn't work, he could always restrain him again.
Static Shiv in his hands ceased emitting currents, and the six devices deactivated. Noah raised his hand, launching several mini-rockets toward Hulk. They exploded in white mist, cooling the high temperatures lingering after the electric shock. These were water bombs he'd modified to create a cold fog capable of freezing an enemy.
"Thank you," Betty said, moving toward Hulk, who was slowly rising.
"Bruce, it's okay now. You're safe here," Betty approached Hulk cautiously, gently touching his face.
Though Hulk had once accidentally hurt her, she knew it was unintentional. She didn't see him as the monster Bruce thought he was. To her, Hulk was a part of Bruce that recognized her.
Noah, observing the scene, released "Second Wind" in their direction, which gently swept over Hulk and Betty.
"Hulk…" Hulk looked at the small figure before him, feeling something familiar and warm. The cool breeze touched his skin, and his wounds began to heal. His boundless fury gradually faded.
"Betty," Bruce murmured, pressing his hand over Betty's hand as it rested gently on his face. His body began to shrink, and the green hue of his skin slowly faded.
"Bruce, you're back to yourself again!" Betty exclaimed with joy, embracing him tightly.
"Sorry, Betty, for making you worry again," Bruce said, noticing he was left in only his stretchy shorts. He felt helpless against the Hulk transformation, but this time, he had no regrets. If not for Hulk, he wouldn't have been able to protect her.
"Wow, the green giant turned human again! Fascinating," a voice interrupted their tender moment. Banner and Betty realized that they were not alone; another person was still nearby.
Banner stood up, instinctively positioning himself protectively in front of Betty. He studied the man in the high-tech suit standing before them. Judging by the suit's appearance, its technology was of a very advanced level. In his years of wandering, especially during his time in Brazil, he had heard of a superhero in an iron suit—Tony Stark, known as Iron Man.
He had seen Iron Man on television, but this man didn't look like Stark, which made Bruce uneasy. He didn't know who this was.
"Bruce, don't worry, calm down. I believe Mr. Storm Swordsman means us no harm," Betty tried to reassure her boyfriend, gently rubbing his back. Then she turned to Noah, standing in front of them.
While she couldn't be completely sure, as Storm Swordsman's identity wasn't as public as Iron Man's, she had no way of knowing his intentions for coming here.
"Not necessarily. Just look around," Noah spread his hands, gesturing to the destruction all around. "This gentleman killed so many people and caused so much damage."
At Noah's words, Banner and Betty tensed up.
"But... I don't intend to give you any trouble over this," Noah's next words relieved them slightly. For Banner, such emotional swings were particularly challenging.
"Those guys got what they deserved," Noah said, after scanning the area and identifying the gang's name, which brought back unpleasant memories. He realized they were fortunate to have crossed paths with Hulk.
Furthermore, he noticed a few survivors hiding among the rubble. Raising his Static Shiv, he unleashed a few electric bursts, reducing them to charred bodies.
Banner and Betty flinched, then heard him say:
"Let's go, Mr. Banner, Ms. Ross."
"How do you know our names?" Banner asked in surprise.
"I came here specifically for you. Oh, don't worry, I'm not associated with Ms. Ross's father," Noah explained, noting their concerned expressions.
"I think you should be on your way. You probably came to this area for a reason?" he asked, looking at them.
Banner and Betty exchanged glances, deciding to wait and see what would happen next.
"I came here to try and rid myself of the monster within," Banner admitted, watching Noah closely, expecting a possible attack.
To his surprise, Noah didn't react and merely nodded.
"Understood," Noah nodded, then tossed a business card with a contact number registered for him by Lissandra. "If, after everything, you have nowhere else to go, contact me. We're in need of specialists like Dr. Banner. Plus, it's safe with me, and you won't need to worry about Ms. Ross."
With that, he walked away, leaving the alley.
Banner and Betty glanced at each other. Banner looked at the business card, put it away, then found a few things for himself among the debris, and together, they headed to their original destination.
Leaving the dark alley for the street, Noah removed his suit. At that moment, a few police officers approached him, responding to reports of loud noises at the scene.
He looked at the officers, took out his badge, and showed it to them:
"FBI, the situation inside is resolved; no need for concern."
The police examined the badge, given to Noah by Agent Coulson some time ago. Satisfied with its authenticity, the officers left, not wanting to get involved.
"Well, that was convenient," Noah stashed the badge. He had come here thanks to Lissandra, who had tracked down Banner and Betty's location through surveillance cameras.
When the couple had stopped at a motel, they discarded all electronic devices except for a heart monitor, so they were only located when they neared New York, where there were more cameras.
The reason he gave Banner his card was simple: in a conversation with Tony Stark, he'd learned that Stark had plans to invite the doctor to Stark Industries, which had sparked an idea.
Noah had multiple projects for research and development: PROJECT, Hextech technologies, Hextech Legion, magical equipment, time research, and countless ideas obtained from Heimerdinger. For him and Lissandra, it was an overwhelming workload.
The idea of inviting Dr. Banner seemed quite appealing. Bruce was a brilliant scientist with deep expertise in physics, and his assistance could significantly ease their efforts.
He decided it wouldn't be that difficult to recruit him. All he needed was to remove those pursuing him and pique Bruce's interest in research. He also decided not to separate him from Betty, which seemed entirely reasonable.
Noah wasn't in a hurry to leave. He found a café across the street from Greyburn College, ordered a cup of coffee, and sat down to observe the situation. He had a mission.
[B-Level Mission: Hulk and Abomination! (Defeat/kill) (Completed 1/2)]
"Could it be that defeating Hulk counts?"
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